Ashland's Reilly is first captain, scores first points for St. Mike's track
· Yahoo Sports
She is usually the one providing a special memory for others. But on the final day of winter in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the honors were all for Meredith Reilly.
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The Ashland High graduate is the first captain of the inaugural women’s outdoor track and field team at St. Michael’s College. On March 19, the junior scored the team’s first-ever points when she placed third in the 10,000 meters at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational. Her time of 42 minutes, 8 seconds earned SMC six points at the three-day meet, which included more than 1,500 athletes from 45 colleges and clubs from 19 states and Canada.
St. Mike’s has competed in track for years as a club team, but this spring is the Colchester, Vermont, school’s first varsity season.
“It’s huge for our team and our program and the school,” said Reilly, was the only SMC athlete to place in the women’s portion of the event.
Reilly was a two-year captain for all three running seasons at Ashland High, where she was a Tri-Valley League All-Star, setting the 2-mile school record and was part of the school record in the distance medley relay. She was also a cross-country captain at SMC in the fall.
Ashland High also laid the foundation for Reilly off-track activities, where, among other extracurriculars, she was a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) board member. At St. Mike’s, she is the SAAC president.
“It all started in high school, building upon that,” Reilly said. “It starts in small ways with this team, building those personal connections. That really helps me push people to be their best; it’s not necessarily being the loudest or the most outspoken, but really creating connections with everyone on the team and seeing what individual person needs and seeing that as a way to bring out the best runner in them.”
SMC track coach Molly Peters, the school’s longest-tenured cross-country coach (20 years), said Reilly was a natural choice to captain the Purple Knights.
"Meredith has been a positive and steady leader as we build this new track program. She leads by example, works really hard, and has earned the respect of her teammates,” she said. “The group looks up to her, and she's genuinely excited about the opportunity to help shape the team as our first captain."
Reilly continues with Make-A-Wish foundation at St. Mike's
Reilly maintains a 3.96 grade point average as a triple major (education studies/psychology/equity studies). In addition to SAAC, she carried over her connection to Make-A-Wish foundation from high school. Reilly was part of the inaugural committee that hosted the school’s Knight Awards, which was also a Make-A-Wish fundraising event.
“It’s such an amazing feeling to see the smiles on their faces, knowing that we’re making a real impact in the community around us,” Reilly said. “It’s so important. Especially as athletes to do stuff beyond our sport. It gives us a bigger purpose beyond just a single game or a meet. It makes life more meaningful to have an impact on someone’s life like that.”
Reilly was inspired by her Ashland High coaches, including her mother, Emily, and John Brinegar, who both coach track and cross-country.
“It’s so amazing,” she said of her mother, “to see her inspire everyone and push people to be their best and make people want to show up and I see her pushing people to reach their goals and helping them achieve that – with a positive attitude and the training plans – it makes me want to be able to do that.”
Speaking about Brinegar, Meredith Reilly said: “He gave me a lot of confidence in my own leadership skills and also my running skills. As I became a more confident runner, I became a more confident leader as well.”
Their mentorship is inspiring Reilly to consider a career in the classroom and on the sidelines.
“I’d love to work with kids and be a teacher and be a cross-country and track coach.”
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram at tdumas1.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Ashland grad is first captain for new St. Michael's College track team